IBM approached Microsoft in July 1980 regarding its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC.[48]
The computer company first proposed that Microsoft write the BASIC
interpreter. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an
operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the widely used CP/M operating system.[49]
IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not
reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the
licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told
him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later, Gates
proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products
(SCP) had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal
with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full
owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC,
Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000.[50]
End partial quote from:
Microsoft
So, CP/M was an operating system and a program in one and with CP/M Gates got rich by keeping the licensing rights to CP/M which he modified and renamed MSDOS after modyfying it. This operating system became the software basis of the IBM PC and all IBM Clone computers (variations of the IBM Clone made by manufacturers all over the world. In fact my first really useful computer was an IBM CLONE AT version made in Silicon Valley. I drove up there with my boys one day in 1987 and paid 2500 Dollars cash for an IBM AT CLONE and an EPSOM PRINTER so my kids and I could print up our homework (me from college and them from Junior high and High school at the time. From MSDOS operating system it then went to Windows 95 on up until what you have now.
So, there were then and now two basic computer systems Apple and IBM Clone. The clones were cheaper to buy and to own and to use and were always better for gaming. Whereas if you were a musician or artist or creative or rich an apple product was better.
By 2005 I stopped buying IBM CLONES because I got tired of all the viruses from the INternet crashing my systems all the time and moved over to Macs made by Apple completely.
Note: In the details it looks like i was misinformed because Gates actually bought QDOS which is basically a copy of CP/M that likely CP/M didn't have the money to fight in court against at the time because they overplayed their hand with IBM. So, by Gates being crafty enough to buy a clone of CP/M which is called QDOS in Seattle he then created MSDOS which was the basic operating system of the first IBM CLONE.
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